Satoru Iwata Refuses to Layoff Nintendo Employees
- Thread starter Steven Bogos
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Not only did they return to profitability really quickly but they're also sitting on a mountain of cash reserves from the success of the Wii and DS.Talk of financial woes at Nintendo is misinformed at best and downright ignorant at worstsenobit said:
That's still leagues better than other business practices, its something that's good to hear and shows that you need the little people and value their talent as the thing that keeps the company blood flowing. I'm tired of hearing about the way the people at the top in a company take out millions of dollars to buy stupid stuff like $28000 waste bins for their corner offices at the expense of their employee's retirement/livelihoods and then leaving on their golden parachutes to other high paying positions when things go south.thaluikhain said:
It is refreshing to hear Nintendo stepping up and saying NO to lay offs when we hear of studios closing and company lay offs nearly every week. If it's been working for them, it makes you wonder why so many other developers don't adopt a similar strategy.
I'm pretty sure that posting a profit counts as doing well.
Anyway, this pretty much illustrates why Nintendo baffles people: they think in the long term. Too many companies think in instant gratification and end of screwing themselves further.
Anyway, this pretty much illustrates why Nintendo baffles people: they think in the long term. Too many companies think in instant gratification and end of screwing themselves further.
Ya got that right. Just remember back to that earthquake/tsunami combo the Japanese got hit with. They might have their oddities, but the one thing I can count on is that the Japanese have the strength of character to believe in and honor people above all else, even when the worst happens.Abomination said:
Good on ya, Nintendo. Me and my 3DS are eagerly awaiting the newest Pokemon generation.
There are, or at least were, other companies that did similarly. Blizzard for instance, prior to their acquisition by Activision at least, had some pretty good business practices.roushutsu said:
And yeah, like Nintendo it's another successful company that operates on long term thinking.
Why doesn't everyone do it? Well, for small companies it tends not to be an option, because you're operating on little security. If you can't make a certain amount of profit then tough, you can't afford to keep operating and you have to shut down. For them, laying off staff and trying to finish the product without them can be the better option over simply failing.
However, that doesn't explain why the bulk of the game industries publishers consider gutting their staff not only an option for meeting profit forecasts, but just a regular practice in between projects. Executives in North America tend not to consider long term thinking, because nothing about the stock market system encourages them too. They will rake in millions of dollars in bonuses for their short-term thinking, and if it hurts the company in the long run, they are not really affected. Even if they destroy their company, the CEO culture will basically guarantee them another cushy position elsewhere.
To the original topic: good on Iwata. Makes me respect him even more, following his voluntarily cutting his own pay/bonuses after failing to meet 3DS sales forecasts last year.
This is truly heartening. Nintendo is approaching profits as a combination of employee-welfare and quality-mindedness. I'm not saying they're perfect, but in fact far from. They're simply better than the usual suspects of misanthropy. EA and Microsoft. They grow ever reminiscent of the Borg with each passing day.
That's nice to hear. Also, does anyone know the context of that photo of Iwata? I keep imagining him pulling out that bushel of bananas during an important meeting and displaying them proudly to shareholders yelling "I AM DONKEY KONG!"
... or something.
... or something.
there needs to be more CEOs like Iwata, not obsessed with the short term but bold and smart enough to look beyond the next quarter and consider the people working for them.
If only their language wasn't a ***** to read, I wouldn't mind some more of their culture leaking in to the rest of the world. That and their extremism is nearly on par with 'Murican religious extremists. And the severe racism, at least towards korea. On the whole though? Japan's pretty sweet.Abomination said:
OT: Man, now I feel kinda guilty for not getting a Wii U. If only I had the money...
But you know what? I just might soon! My no-longer-so-friendly Local Gaming Store is suddenly and rapidly going down the shitter so I've got a chance to break free of the plastic/resin crack that is GW et al.
Of course they won't lay off people, and they know why. Considering the "value" put on a person who's worked directly with Nintendo compared to anyone who's worked with other companies, they'll be quickly rehired by competition wanting to know just what kind of talent Nintendo has, and what kind of trade secrets they can weasel out of the person.
The only caveat is that the culture from the other competing companies is much harsher; if a company does hire a Nintendo employee that's been laid off, there isn't going to be much production or happiness coming from that person for an undetermined amount of time. Or worse, they hate it enough that they quit and become a new indie dev, also competing for the same spotlight.
The only caveat is that the culture from the other competing companies is much harsher; if a company does hire a Nintendo employee that's been laid off, there isn't going to be much production or happiness coming from that person for an undetermined amount of time. Or worse, they hate it enough that they quit and become a new indie dev, also competing for the same spotlight.
